new plans for personal records

My race is coming up this weekend and its got me thinking about what to expect. Will I have to crawl across the finish line? Will I set a personal record? Will I be able to smile for the cameras?

I LOVED my frist and second half-marathons. My first was in Charlotte, NC and was thrilling. My second was in Ridgecrest, NC and I set a personal record 2:05:48. But my last half marathon, Virginia Beach, was disappointing....I'd pulled a muscle in my back and was hurting the whole race. My time was so bad I'm not even mentioning it on here. I did manage to pull out a weak smile for the finish line cameras:

The race was equal parts humbling and exhausting, but I managed to finish. And I crossed the finish line with my newest running partner:

That's right friends.....I'm pregnant. 16 weeks pregnant to be exact. We found out just a few days before the VA Beach race. My doctor cleared me for the race, but had serious reservations about my marathon plans.

Fast forward 8 weeks to today: I'm feeling great! Other than being more tired than usual, I really haven't had any negative pregnancy symptoms. The marathon is off the table for this weekend, but I will be hauling my ever expanding waitline to the half-marathon instead. So, if you see a chubby girl huffing and puffing please cheer me on....or give me a ride back to the hotel.

I don't plan on a personal record for this race. I do plan to really enjoy this race. I'll slow down (most of which I can't help anyways) and enjoy the weather, scenery and people. I'll take pictures to remind our little babe of his/her second half-marathon that we've run together. And I'll hold hands with my husband in the city where we fell in love.

I'm not sure what I'll do with the medal from this weekend's race. Maybe I'll display it next to my numbers from the Virginia Beach race. I definitely saved that ticket.....I especially love the note under "medical history."